Colour is one of the subtlest aspects of car design, but one that still has an effect. Many of us have wondered at the motivations of people driving mustard yellow, blancmange green, or fire engine red cars but in truth garish hues are relatively rare.

According to a recent poll by used car website Carmony, a massive 69 per cent of motorists choose white diesel or petrol cars. Silver cars follow in second place, making up 20 per cent of choices in the survey.

According to Carmony, drivers of white cars have a desire for perfection, simplicity, minimalism and a simple life, while silver car drivers think of themselves as cool, and have a taste for the futuristic and elegant.

Paul Coleman, Marketing Director at Carmony.co.uk, said: “Colour is an important part of the car buying equation and colour preference speaks volumes about the driver’s personality. We believe that when colour is combined with choice of manufacturer and model, it is a true personification of the owner.”

Well….perhaps. We’ve all heard of the legendary white van man – it doesn’t look like he has much in common with white car man!